Wellness can be wonderful and allow you to process life’s stressors calmly, safely, and meditatively. However, the term wellness has been hijacked by marketing and companies as a way to sell products in lieu of trying to help people. When I think about wellness, I don’t think about sitting in my room and meditating with a free youtube video; I think all about things that cost me money. This week I had what I called my wellness day; however, it was my most expensive and time-sucking day.
When we discuss wellness, we often avoid the conversation of how wellness can cost us in so many ways. Companies have created this niche of products and services aimed at making us feel better, but often, they cost more than they give. Companies like Goop and Poosh have pushed this idea of at-home wellness at a really high cost. We have been made to believe that items like an at-home sauna blanket bundle that costs you $655 will help us feel better mentally and physically. Products like this can be great if you have the time and money to use them, but not having this product will not stop you from “being well.”
Although the costs, I enjoy spending that time and energy on being well. With the daily mental struggles, I have struggled to find things that have worked for me. However, over time, I found a routine of wellness that helps me: therapy, chiropractic, and pilates. Pilates seems the most wellness-focused of my routine, or at least that is what social media has shown me. As much as it gives me peace and a release from the day, it is often more expensive than the gym. Pilates is tricky because it is very meditative and peaceful for me; however, for many people, there are other choices, as a gym membership would be cheaper.
Each of these things has costs to them; time costs, financial costs and energy costs. With pilates, it costs money to have clothes to go in, it costs time to take out of my school schedule, and it costs energy to find 2 hours every few days when I factor in the traveling time. You might say well, Annika, just do pilates at home. Well, that’s perfect because Goop has a pilates reformer for a cool $4,249. To many people, these things might sound ridiculous and like items, you can skip, but for others, like myself, though, wellness is something that you are always trying to find to the point that if you had $4,249, you could spend it to see if it makes you happier.
It is easy to feel the costs outweigh the positives. Only some things will work for you, and that is ok. You are finding your own way, and no one can define what wellness should mean to you. Wellness does not have one image of what it looks like, and perfection is not real or attainable.
Words by Annika Petersen.
Graphic by Reem Hinedi.